Last month, we had the great pleasure of seeing Kyle Dine in concert! Kyle Dine is a musician who records and performs children’s music about food allergies. His songs contain positive messages on living with and safely managing one’s food allergies, and his concerts are educational, uplifting, and a lot of fun. We had the opportunity to ask a few questions of this gifted songwriter. How old were you when you found out you had a food allergy and how did it happen? I first found out that I had food allergies when I was two years old. My parents tell me that I experienced a rash and hives all over my body after consuming a milkshake which had egg in the ice cream. What are you allergic to? I am currently allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, mustard, penicillin, and dogs and cats. When did you start advocating for food allergic people? I started advocating for people with allergies when I was in university. I did a few backpacking trips across Europe, and realized how difficult it was to travel safely when dealing with foreign languages. I created http://www.facebook.com/l/a501bF-7bLSBIWwKLP3ny-k5_Pw;www.allergytranslation.com as a tool to help communicate dietary needs on a credit card sized translation card. When did you decide that music was how you wanted to send the message? I have always been passionate about music, but the idea to do songs about food allergies came to me when I was teaching guitar at a peanut-free summer camp. Music is such an effective way to convey a message, as well as instilling elements of fun and engagement to listeners. Your songs definitely relay a positive message; in fact, they even seem celebratory. How important do you think it is for kids to feel as if they can “celebrate” their allergies? There is a constant theme of optimism in all my songs. This is really important to me because I want kids to focus on the positive, and become empowered over their allergies. The likelihood of risk-taking is lower when children are confident about what they need to do to stay safe. Managing one’s own serious food allergies is a big thing for a child to take responsibility of....

By: Gwen Smith, Allergic Living Editor Hallelujah, we’ve been heard. If you ask a flight attendant on WestJet, Canada’s second largest airline, she or he will step to the microphone and ask fellow passengers to please not pull out nut or peanut snacks. The attendant will briefly explain that this is because there is a person onboard with serious allergies. via WestJet Steps Up to the Mike | Allergic Living. Of course this is HUGE news for the food allergic traveller our there. WestJet knows how to deal with the public, unlike Air Canada that gives you a buffer zone, IF you have filled in the required form from your doctor and faxed to the medical desk and a call to Reservations to book the zone. At least they have something. Share...

AVOIDING MILK BLOG AVOIDING MILK PROTEIN AND OTHER ALLERGY FREE FOOD FINDS. Karen over at Avoiding Milk Protein has a great list of gear for allergy awareness and gifts over the holiday List of allergy gear companies in time for Christmas, from allergy t-shirts to magnets. Many of these companies also offer gift certificates. Avoiding Milk Blog: Allergy Gear for Christmas. Share...

﻿﻿Allergic Living has reported that after the packaging error that occurred last week at the Quaker Canada facility the facility has been closed pending an internal investigation and that the boy that was affected by an allergic reaction has gone home. We’re happy for the good news about the boy and hope that Quaker gets to the bottom of this soon! Read the article here… From the Quaker website IMPORTANT PRODUCT NOTICE The health and safety of our consumers is our highest priority. Accordingly, Quaker Canada has initiated a voluntary recall of our 14 count Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Value Pack cartons that may have been mis-labeled. No other packages of Quaker bars or Quaker products are affected. Quaker Canada is taking this action out of an abundance of caution because the outside packaging erroneously states that the boxes should contain Chewy Chocolate Chip and Chewy S’mores bars, both of which are made in a peanut-free facility. The individually-wrapped bars are clearly and accurately labeled. Consumers who have purchased a 14 count Quaker Chewy Granola Bars Value Pack carton with a UPC Bar Code ending in 10742 should inspect the contents of the carton to ensure it contains the correct product (Chewy Chocolate Chip and Chewy S’mores bars). If the carton contains Dipps Chocolate Chip and Dipps Caramel Nut bars and a consumer has a peanut or tree nut allergy, they should return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a refund. No other packages of Quaker bars or Quaker products are affected. There is NO health risk associated with handling the mis-labeled product for disposal, however this product should not be consumed by those in a peanut or tree nut-allergic household. The company is working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Anaphylaxis Canada to notify the public. Consumers with questions may contact us by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-800-267-6287. Share...